Mower and harvester.



H. L. HOPKINS.

MOWER AND HARVESTEE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26,- 1905. nmmwnn FEB. 11, 1909.

1,054,773. Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

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H. L. HOPKINS.

MOWER AND HARVESTBR.

APILIOATION TILED AUG. 26, 1905. RENEWED EEB.11, 1909.

1,054,773, Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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H. L. HOPKINS. MOWER AND H-ARVESTER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. '26, 1905.RENEWED M111, 1909.

1,054,773. Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Witwzowa Z WM f COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH (1)., WASHINGTON. D. c;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY It. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 HOPKINS PATENTCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MOWER AND HARVESTER.

Application filed August 26, 1905, Serial No. 275,927. Renewed February11, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

Serial No. 477,463.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARVEY L. HorKINs, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Mowers and Harvesters, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in mowers, relating moreparticularly to that part of a mowing machine which is generally calledthe track clearer or divider; that is to say, the device at the outerend of the cutting apparatus which acts to effect a separation betweenthe cut grass and the standing grass, and in doing so throws the cutstalks or blades inward toward the stubble.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the cutting apparatus of amowing machine, suiiicient to illustrate the manner of embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation from the grass side of themachine. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the track clearer from the stubbleside. Fig. 4 is a rear view, showing parts of the mowing machinesuflicient to illustrate the manner of supporting the cutting apparatuswhen in its elevated or folded position. Fig. 5 is a section on the line55 of Fig. 2 partly broken away; Fig. 6 is a sect-ion on the line 66'ofFig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side view of the finger bar supportingshoe, this view of the shoe being similar to that shown in Fig. 3; Fig.8 is a view of the connected ends of the elastic sweep arms; Fig. 9shows one of the clamping members for said arms, and Fig. 10 shows theother clamping member for said arms.

In the drawings I have shown the track clearer as applied to a mowingmachine, having a cutting apparatus comprising a cutter bar, indicatedby A, and a finger bar, indicated by B, the latter being at its outerend supported by shoe 0, adapted to slide over the ground. Inasmuch asthe parts which relate more particularly to the present improvements maybe employed with a cutting apparatus of any of the well known forms, itis not necessary to herein illustrate or describe the latter in detail.

The shoe C is adapted to rest upon and slide over the ground and isprovided with an upward rising flange 0. To this is pivoted thetrack-clearer, indicated as an entirety by D. It is secured to thevertical wall 0 by a pivot pin Z2 which allows suflicient freedom ofmovement. Its motions, however, are limited, there being a stop at dwhich prevents the clearer from moving upward or forward beyond thedesired limit, and the bottom plate 0 of the shoe may serve as alimiting device against motion in the other direction, though I preferto provide stop lugs to serve as a limiting device, one on the bottomplate, as shown at 0 and one on the track clearer, as shown at 0 Theclearer D, as illustrated, comprises the carrier part E, and the fingersor sweep arms F, F, and preferably there is also a bar G, which ishorizontal midway between these arms F, F. The carrier E is a casting,preferably approximately triangular in general out-line when viewedhorizontally. Through the narrower end passes the pivot pin 6 whichconnects the clearer to the shoe. It is also formed with two arms orbars, 6, 0, extending backward. The fingers or 'arms F, F are secured inany suitable way to this carrier. By preference they are formed of asingle metallic rod, bent so that these arms shall be peculiarly shaped,and each having a conformation differing from that of the other. Thesespecial conformations combined with the spring and consequent elasticityof the sweep fingers give the cut grass a rolling movement, stubbleward,instead of a push or sliding movement which is given by othertrack-clearers. This rolling movement of the cut grass stubblewardclears a better track and requires much less power in clearing it, as itis easier to roll or turn the grass in windrow shape than to slide orpush and shove the grass on the ground. The track-clearers of mowingmachines being so far away from the draft point, any saving of power orforce required to clear the track is a great desideratum, and the sidedraft of the machine is correspondingly decreased. The elasticity of thesweep fingers permits'them to yield when contacting with obstructions,thus lessening the side draft and the direct draft, and preventingbreakages. The connecting bend at f is seated in a recess or socketformed when the carrier E is cast, and the arms at points in rear of thebend lie below retaining bars 7" formed on the carrier. The arms aredetachably fastened rigidly in place against the carrier by means of oneor more clamps. As shown, there is a single clamp at G, which fitsagainst the inner face of the bend at f, and extends a short distancealong each of the arms, being drawn tightly to place by a threadedfastening de vice G The upper arm F, is carried for three or four feet,or any suitable distance, backward, upward and inward; the lower arm Fextends backward along the ground for a relatively short distance, thenupward, and finally at the end turns slightly inward toward the stubble.Preferably, in order to attain the best results, the upper arm F, whenthe arms are looked at in plan view, lies at all points more or lessinside of the corresponding points of the lower bar F at points behindthe carrier E. 1 These arms F, F are constructed of elastic steel ofpeculiar quality.

In machines of this character as heretofore constructed, so far as myknowledge goes, use has always been made of wooden boards, and woodenarms, as dividers. Originally these wood devices were secured rigidlylaterally to the shoe. Experience demonstrated, however, that a movementof the divider relatively to the part which supported it was beneficial,and during later years the custom has been to interpose between thewooden board, or bar, and the shoe a supplemental spring, either insideor outside of the board for the purpose of permitting the track-clearerto yield when contacting with obstructions upon the ground, and whenoverloaded with cut grass. This yielding is at. the front end only,while the track-clearer swings bodily against the spring, and does notturn or roll the cut grass windrow-like. But I have found that eventhese later devices in common use are too heavy and. sluggish in theirmovements and are not. properly shaped and do not have the requiredelasticity to effect the proper separation of the cut blades or stalksfrom those which are still standing, and with which they are more orless tangled or matted; and after long experi encehave been led todevise a divider 0f the sort herein presented, which may be regarded asa delicate and sensitive elastic body from the front end to the rearends of the arms F, F, so formed as to accomplish the purpose abovedescribed. Divider devices of the character described also enable me toattain another important end. Upon referring to Fig. 4, it will be seenthat after the cutting apparatus has been turned up on the hinge at theinner shoe, and is situated in its uppermost position, as

it is when placed for travel or transportation from one place toanother, it can be held firmly in such position by means of one or theother of the divider arms F, F. As shown, the lower arm F is formed withan eye f at its rear end, and when the cutting apparatus is thrown up,as described, this end is carried well across the frame work of themachine, the eye f at that time lying approximately near the innerground wheel H.

I is a short section of chain, secured at a suitable point to the mainframe, and having a hook 2' which can be readily engaged with ordisconnected from the eye When the chain and the divider arm are thusconnected, the cutting apparatus is firmly sustained in its elevatedposition; much more firmly than if it were held by the devicesheretofore commonly used. The earlier devices have comprised hookspositioned on some part of the frame work near the inner shoe. In suchcases the heavy cutter bar and finger bar rely for their support upondevices which are eflicient at a short radius only; consequently theweight of the cutting apparatus is seriously in opposition to the holderand it is impossible to secure steadiness, there being constantvibration of the upper end of the bar during transportation. Thedisadvantages in this respect in the older mechanisms are intensified bythe fact that the heavier divider devices, or track clearers, weresupported from the elevated ends of the cutting apparatus, and theirweight increased the difficulty incident to getting a firm support andmade the mechanism when thus folded still more. cumbersome and unstable.

\Vhen a holder of the kind which I provide is employed, it will be seenthat the weight of the cutting apparatus and its leverage arecompensated with the utmost efiiciency possible by attaching the holderto the upper free end of the cut-ting apparatus, and the power exertedfor looking it is applied to the greatest advantage. And,moreover, itwill be further seen that the very part which has heretofore enhanced.the difliculty, namely, the divider or track clearer, is here used notonly as part of the means for steadying and locking the cut tingapparatus, but is itself held firmly in position when the machine isbeing transported from place to place, and the difiiculty fromunsteadiness, as well as that from weight, is entirely overcome.

\Vhen the operator desires to let the cutting apparatus down intooperating position, he detaches the chain I from the divider bar F,rasps the latter in his hand, and permits the finger bar to swing outward and downward until it reaches a position where it is held by thelifting'mechanism, and then by means of the lifting lever he lowers itto the ground and to cutting position.

The bar G above referred to as lying in a horizontal position, midwaybetween the upper divider rod F and the lower one at F, is also securedin position on the carrier E by means of the clamp q. This bar can be ofmetal or of wood, as desired, wood being preferred by myself. It isintended for, and serves the purpose of supporting the cut grass atpoints between the two metal rods, and prevents it from being forced ordragged between them, in this respect assisting in effecting a completeseparation. It must, however, be elastic so as to yield with the dividerarms F, F, and so yielding throughout its entire length it assists thearms in turning or rolling the cut grass windrow-like. I do not claimthat short grasses can be thus windrowed, and with such small growthsthis is not required, but tall grasses or grass with long spears orstalks, lodged clover and many species of alfalfa can be so handled bymy improved construction where the old forms of track-clearers give onlyimperfect results.

What I claim is 1. In a mower, the combination with the frame, ofcutting apparatus extending therefrom, a shoe secured to the outer endof said cutting apparatus, a carrier pivoted for vertical movement uponsaid shoe, rearwardly extending track clearing arms at difierentdistances from the ground formed in a single piece, a separately formedtrack clearing arm intermediate the aforesaid arms and common means forsecuring all of said arms to said carrier.

2. In a mower, the combination with a frame, of cutting apparatusextending therefrom, a. shoe secured to the outer end of said cuttingapparatus, a carrier pivoted for vertical movement upon said shoe,rearwardly extending track clearing arms at different distances from theground formed in a single piece, a separately formed track clearing armintermediate the aforesaid arms and common means for detachably securingall of said arms to said carrier.

3. In a mower, the combination with the frame, of cutting apparatusextending therefrom, a shoe at the outer end of the cutting apparatusand track clearing means carried by'said shoe, said means comprising anarm carrier secured to said shoe and rearwardly extending arms carriedthereby, said carrier having grooves adapted to re ceive certain of saidarms and a plane face adapted to receive other of said arms and meansfor securing said arms to said carrier.

4. In a mower, the combination with the frame, of cutting apparatusextending therefrom, a shoe at the outer end of the cutting apparatusand track clearing means carried by said shoe, said means comprisin anarm carrier secured to said shoe an rearwardly extending arms carriedthereby, said carrier having grooves adapted to receive certain of saidarms and a plane face adapted to receive other of said arms and a commonmeans for securing all of said arms to said carrier.

5. In a mower, the combination with the frame, of cutting mechanismextending therefrom and a clearing arm carrier secured to the outer endof said cutting mechanism, said carrier comprising a member having uponone side grooves adapted to receive rearwardly extending clearing armsand a plane face upon the other side, arms within said grooves, a clampfor securing said arms, a flat arm engaging with the surface upon theopposite side of said memher from said grooves and common means forsecuring the said clamp and said fiat arm.

6. In amower, the combination with the frame, of cutting mechanismextending therefrom and a clearing arm carrier secured to the outer endof said cutting mechanism, said carrier comprising a member having uponone side grooves adapted to receive rearwardly extending clearing armsand a plane face upon the other side, arms within said grooves, a clampfor securing said arms, a flat arm engaging with the surface upon theopposite side of said member from said grooves and a bolt passingthrough said clamp and said flat arm for securing the same.

7. In a mower, the combination with the frame, of cutting apparatusextending therefrom, a track clearing arm extending rearwardly from theouter end of said cutting mechanism and bent at its rear end to form aneye, of means for connecting said eye with said frame whereby thecutting apparatus is sustained in vertical position.

8. In a mower, the combination of a frame, cutting apparatus comprisinga finger bar flexibly connected to the frame, a track clearing armextending rearward from the outer end of the finger bar, and means fordetachably connecting the free end of said arm to the frame when thefinger bar i folded.

9. In a mower, the combination of a frame, cutting apparatus comprisinga finger bar flexibly connected to the frame, a resilient track clearingarm extending rearward from the outer end of the finger bar, and meansfor detachably connecting the free end of said arm to the frame when thefinger bar is folded.

10. In a mower, the combination of a frame, cuttmg apparatus comprisinga finger bar flexibly connected to the frame, a In testimony whereof Iafilxiniyeignz? lever for raising and lowering the finger bar, ture, inpresence of two Witnesses. g a track clearing arm extending rearward IHAP \VEY L. H PKIN from the outer end of the finger bar, and l 0 S meansindependent of the lever for detach- Htnesses: ably connectlng the freeend of said arm to CHARLES H. POPE, the frame When the finger bar 1sfolded. Cmz1s.- H. ANDERSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

